WWE has confirmed that Mustafa Ali will be part of the SmackDown World Cup, which also features seven SmackDown stars despite being a Raw talent.
Ali is working a program on Raw with United States Champion Seth Rollins. With him working on SmackDown, there has been speculation that he could be moved to SmackDown. That is not the case, as Fightful Select reports Ali is still part of the Raw roster, and the idea is for him to work both shows for the next three weeks.
It’s still unclear why Ali was picked for the tournament instead of another SmackDown talent. Rey Mysterio was set to be a tournament competitor, but WWE ended up replacing him with Ali.
Before he was announced for the tournament, Ali shared this emotional post on Twitter:
i know many have given up on me. and that’s okay. i haven’t.
if you’re riding with me, much love.
if you’re praying for my downfall, u gotta pray a little harder. i be getting knock down but still getting up.
👕: https://t.co/ygooUwMIuU pic.twitter.com/3kKPzZnShH
— Mustafa Ali (@MustafaAli_X) November 11, 2022
Ali will face Ricochet in a first-round match next Friday night. He ended the day with a positive message about being in the tournament:
incredible opportunity. proud to be american. proud to be indian. and proud to be representing pakistan in this tournament! pic.twitter.com/roNxyAMnNz
— Mustafa Ali (@MustafaAli_X) November 12, 2022
